Official Trailer for ‘Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus’ Final Performance Doc

Official Trailer for ‘Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus’ Final Performance Doc

by Alex Billington
February 16, 2024
Source: YouTube

Janus Films has revealed an official trailer for the wonderful documentary performance film titled Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus. This is the final performance of the master Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, who passed away in early 2023 at the age of 71. The film premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival last year as a special screening. A celebration of an artist’s life in the purest sense, Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus is the definitive swan song of one of the world’s greatest musicians. In late 2022, as a parting gift, Sakamoto mustered all of his energy to leave us with one final performance: a concert film featuring just him and his piano. Curated and sequenced by Sakamoto himself, the twenty pieces featured in the doc film wordlessly narrate his life through his wide-ranging oeuvre. The selection spans his entire career – from his pop-star period with Yellow Magic Orchestra and his magnificent scores for filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci to his meditative final album, 12. I had the chance to watch this in Venice and it’s a really awe-inspiring film to sit through, just to be awash in the majesty of Sakamoto’s music and melodies. It is a truly special experience.

Here’s the official US trailer (+ poster) for Neo Sora’s doc Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus, from YouTube:

From Venice: “On March 28th, 2023, legendary composer Ryuichi Sakamoto passed away after his struggle against cancer. In the years leading up to his death, Sakamoto could no longer perform live. Single concerts, not to mention sprawling global tours, were too taxing. Despite this, in late 2022, Sakamoto mustered all of his energy to leave the world with one final performance: a concert film, featuring just him and his piano. Curated by Sakamoto himself and presented in his chosen order, the twenty pieces performed in the film wordlessly narrate his life through his music. The selection spans his entire career, from his popstar Yellow Magic Orchestra period, to his magnificent Bertolucci film scores, to music from his meditative final album, 12.” Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus is directed by artist / filmmaker Neo Sora, director of the doc Ainu Neno an Ainu previously, plus other Sakamoto short films and music videos. Produced by KAB (Norika Sora, Albert Tholen, Eric Nyari, Aiko Masubuchi), Recorded Picture Company (Jeremy Thomas). This initially premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival last year, and it also played at the New York & London Film Festivals. Janus Films will debut Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus in select US theaters on March 15th, 2024 coming soon.

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